1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charging device, e.g., for inductive charging of an energy store, a method for controlling a charging operation, and a corresponding computer program product.
2. Description of the Related Art
An accumulator which may be used, for example, to supply electrical energy to a small power device, is rechargeable with the aid of a corresponding charging unit. The accumulator and the charging unit may be connected to each other with the aid of electrical contacts, or a system of induction coils may be used to transmit electrical energy from the charging unit to the accumulator. The accumulator has a first energy coil which is configured to convert an external alternating magnetic field into a current which is used to recharge the accumulator following appropriate preparation. The charging unit has a corresponding second induction coil and is configured to generate the alternating electrical field, so that the two induction coils are coupled to each other in the manner of a transformer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,803,744 B1 shows a charging unit which has a system of a plurality of second induction coils to facilitate an alignment of the accumulator with the first induction coil. In one specific embodiment, it is also shown that the induction coils may be moved relative to each other to achieve an improved magnetic coupling between the induction coils.